JJVL head defends LPG quota allotment

Appears before FIA’s inquiry committee, which submits its report before SC.

ISLAMABAD:

Defending the illegal allotment of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) quota to Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL), JJVL Chairman Iqbal Z Ahmad has contended that due to the unavoidable circumstances after 9/11 incident, bid bond could not be arranged on the due date, said Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) interim Inquiry report.

FIA Director Zaheer Ahmad submitted this report to the Supreme Court in view of its December 4, 2013 judgment, which had declared the August 12, 2003 Implementation Agreement between Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and the JJVL a gross violation of the bidding process as advertised and set out in the tender documents. The SC had also nullified the agreement.

The 23-page SC judgment had said that the project was awarded by the SSGCL in a highly non-transparent manner with the objective of giving undue benefit to the JJVL, a marketing company of the liquefied gas.

The bench had directed the FIA to inquire about the agreement and submit a report, to identify all those who were responsible for the failings – including acts of criminal negligence, corruption, corrupt practices or other offences.

The FIA was also directed to inquire into, and investigate any, matter which might come to light from examination of any documents and records during the course of inquiry and submit its report within 30 days from December 4.

According to the FIA inquiry report, available with The Express Tribune, main accused of this alleged scam Iqbal Z Ahmad stated before inquiry team that there was no other bidder, so delay of two days in submissions of bid bond had not compromised the sanctity of bidding process.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2014.